Dumpster Diving in the High-Rent District

Several weeks ago we went to Bethesda Row for dinner and when exiting the parking garage we saw a mid-century looking wood chair near the dumpsters behind the stores. Kari said we should get a closer look after dinner.

The Lighted Walkway at Bethesda Row

After dinner I walked over to the dumpsters and it was a version of the Eames LCW chair. Needless to say we grabbed it and tossed it in the back of the Mazda. It took a little scrubbing to clean it up, but now it sits temporarily by the TV credenza until we come up with a master plan for where everything goes (keep in mind I'm trying to restore a Brasilia credenza, we recently bought a Lane Acclaim coffee table, and yesterday I picked up a 2-tier Lane Acclaim side table).

The iconic Eames LCW or “Lounge Chair Wood” (1946) was hailed by Time magazine as the Best Design of the 20th Century. Originals are still produced by Herman Miller and range from $849 for walnut  to $1349 for santos palisander. In the early 1940s, Charles and Ray Eames experimented with wood-molding techniques that would have profound effects on the design world. Their discoveries led to a commission from the U.S. Navy in 1942 to develop plywood splints, stretchers, and glider shells molded under heat and pressure. After World War II, they adapted the technology to create high-quality chairs, the process eliminated extraneous wood, which reduced the weight and visual profile of the chair and established a basis for modern furniture design. 

The Eames LCW in Santos Palisander